Oh, Those Irrepressible Hobbits
by Vergilia
Summary: The story of the Hobbits in Ithilien. Reunions after healings. PG for one swear word. R&R.
1. Frodo

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.

Oh, Those Irrepressible Hobbits

Frodo opened his eyes to find light.The firstlight that hadreached his eyes in days, or was it weeks? Time was getting all confused. The light blinded him.

"Where am I? What happened?" Frodo asked softly. His gaze was drawn to his mutilated hand,ummovingon the coverlet.

"So it's all true," he gasped, bringing up the still hand with its missing finger.

"Yes, yes, it's all true." An unexpectedvoice pierced Frodo's thoughts. "You're lucky to be here, Master Hobbit."

Frodo tore his gaze from his hand, and rested his eyes on someone he thought he would never see again. "Gandalf!" he exclaimed. "So I _am_ dead."

"Dead?" chuckled the Wizard. "I think not. You have a little fire in you, my friend; as do all hobbits, it seems."

"But… if I'm not dead…? I thought you fell. I saw you fall!" Frodo whispered, eyes shining with tears long unshed.

"Yes, I fell; through fire, and water, and darkness besides. But I came back, just in time to help your friends in their time of need."

"Who else is dead? We heard about Boromir. Did you know he had a brother? He was a decent being, for a Man," Frodo seemed to have remastered the use of his tongue.

Gandalf laughed, "Slow down, young hobbit! Yes, Boromir fell, and it was a grievous loss. Yes, I know he has a brother. Faramir was a great help in the war." Gandalf's gaze went far away.

"War? I see there are many more tales to tell, other than mine," Frodo said. "But, please, tell me who else has fallen?"

"No one, much to our luck. The Fellowship remained for the most part unbroken. Bent, perhaps, but not broken."

"Gandalf," Frodo replied, hugging the old man, "it's good to see you again."

"So you're finally awake? Merry and I have been waiting for AGES," a familiar voice sounded from the door.

"Not ages, Pip, don't exaggerate," Merry admonished, "You've only been up and about for a day or so."

"Who are these giants I see?" Frodo laughed. "There'll be no more bullying you around, Pippin."

"And I'm glad of it!" Pippin exclaimed, jumping on Frodo's bed.

"I could still toss you, if I had half a mind," Merry grumbled, although he was smiling.

"Why, Frodo, you need a hair cut. And a bath. And a fingernail clipping. Did Sam take care of you at all?" Pippin asked.

"Fool of a Took, to use a wise man's words!" Frodo exclaimed. "Sam not take care of me? Why, the very idea! Any other problems that you find with my general appearance, Master Peregrin?"

"Well, now that you bring it up, your eyes look crusty. And your feet are cracked. And your hands are blistered. And your skin is burnt. Why, you're quite crispy in general. And did you really get that hungry?" Pippin held up Frodo's hand, the missing finger quite obvious.

Frodo turned from Merry to Gandalf, both clearly flabbergasted. Pippin burst out laughing at their faces. "You have all gotten so serious as of late. I make a simple joke, and leave you all staring at me like dead fish. It certainly makes a hobbit feel out of place! I'll be quiet now and leave you all to your worldly cares."

Frodo laughed, "Now don't get snappy with me, Pippin! Your jokes always do seem to go out of place."

"At least you didn't have to spend all this time with him. I'd have traded him any day for having reliable ol' Sam by my side." Merry ruffled the younger hobbit's hair.

"Sam is more than reliable. I wouldn't have made it without him," Frodo said sadly, looking over at his sleeping guardian.

Pippindestroyed the peacefulmoment. "Would you really have traded me for Sam, Merry?"

Merry laughed, a long clear sound that brought Frodo back from where his mind had retreated, the last climb to Mordor. "Of course I wouldn't have traded you, my little ass. Sam wouldn't have made me laugh, even if he had meant to."

Frodo smiled, "It's good to be back."

"Sorry to interrupt this reunion," Gandalf said abruptly, "but our little ring bearer needs his rest."

"Yes, the ring…" Frodo looked into the distance. "It is gone now. It will haunt me no more. Yes, I need rest."

Gandalf ushered the other hobbits out of the room. Pippin's happy smile faded.

"Will it ever stop weighing on him, Gandalf?" he asked, glancing back into the room, compassionately eyeingat the already sleeping figure.

"I don't know," Gandalf murmured, looking back as well. "I don't know if the ring will ever truly leave him."

Pippin shook his head, stepped forward, and stumbled. Merry caught him.

"I shouldn't have let you out of bed, Pip," Merry said, worry clouding his eyes. "You're not well either."

"I'm well enough," Pippin muttered, before stumbling once more.

Merry stood, resolute. "Back to your bed, young hobbit. Now. I told you I still could toss you." He frog marched the other hobbit back to his room, with Pippin complaining the whole way.

"I'm not TIRED. I feel FINE. That's a mere SCRATCH. Let GO of me!"

Gandalf shook his head.

Oh, those irrepressible hobbits…


	2. Pippin

Oh, Those Irrepressible Hobbits

Chapter Two: Pippin in Ithilien

Darkness. Everywhere. Pippin was surprised to be aware of this darkness. Even as he thought about it, the darkness seemed to lighten.

"Pippin! Pippin! Come back!" came a frantic sounding voice.

Pippin tried to open his mouth to answer, but couldn't make his body respond.

"Peregrin Took! Come back!"demanded a more commanding voice.

"Fool of a Took! Taking on a troll! If you aren't dead, I'll kill you," a gruff voice resounded.

Pippin succeeded in smiling at the last voice.

"Gandalf?" he whispered. "Are you dead too?"

"Pippin! You're awake!" Merry said. Pippin felt something wet splash onto his hand. "I'm going to beat you silly for making me worry like that!"

"Merry? You died too? How? Did we lose? At the end, I wanted to die there with you, but I guess this is the same. Don't cry, Merry."

Merry gave a strangled laugh. "Pip, you aren't dead! None of us are! We won! Don't tell me not to cry, you foolish Took. We won!"

"We… won?" Pippin echoed, finally opening his eyes.

Aragorn was leaning over him, smiling. "Yes, my little hobbit, we won."

"I'm not dead?" Pippin asked, slowly lifting his head to look around.

"Careful, careful," Aragorn cautioned. "You are not fully healed yet."

Pippin ignored the warning and looked around him. Each color, each texture seemed more vibrant than before. He then looked down at his hand, the hand that Merry was clasping tightly, and noticed how wetthe appendagewas.

"You cried that much, Merry?" Pippin asked softly. "Now I get to tell the whole Shire that Meriadoc Brandybuck is more of a softie than I."

"Don't you dare, you little tomfool. I hope that you would cry as much if I was the one to nearly die."

"I was only joking, Merry," Pippin replied, smiling.

"Save your jokes, Peregrin," Gandalf said gruffly. "You still have healing to do. It is only thanks to Aragorn that we could get you this far. The rest depends on you."

"Where's Beregond?" Pippin asked, sitting up quickly, memory rushing back. A queasy feeling came into his stomach, and his head started to swim.

"Lay back down!" Aragorn commanded sternly, "You are not fit to be moving!"

"But Beregond? Where is he?" Still frantic, Peregrin nonetheless obeyed orders andslowly lowered himself back to the bed.

"Your friend is lying in a different ward," Gandalf replied. "Thanks to you, he made it through the battle. With not much less injury than you, I might add. Was it necessary to be underneath a falling troll?"

Pippin slowly smiled, feeling his eyes starting to close. "Where else would a hobbit be, Gandalf? You always said I was getting under foot."

"I didn't mean it literally, as you well know," Gandalf brusquely stated.

"Is the little one finally awake?"

"I'm not so little anymore," Pippin scolded the newvisitor softly.

"Aye, you have that right, laddie. But I'm glad to be proven wrong, if only in proof that you yet live. When I found you on that field, you seemed quite dead," Gimli answered.

"I felt quite dead," Pippin countered.

"But I wasn't about to let you die on me, after the pain you've put me through. How many times have I gone tracking after you? Let's hope Cormallen Fields was the last," Gimli laughed.

"I'll agree to that," Merry said.

"And you should, Meriadoc. For we were forced to track you as well," Legolas laughed, coming into the room.

"Though I tracked him last!" Pippin said weakly.

"That you did, Pip. I owe my life to you as well. If not for you, than Aragorn may have been too late. I would've been consumed," Merry's eyes seemed to fall within himself, to be looking for a wound within.

Pippin felt sad at seeing his friend so worn. "I don't recall crying, however," he answered teasingly.

Merry withdrew from himself once more. "Of course you wouldn't, you unfeeling Took."

"At least I'm not a sentimental Brandybuck."

"Enough, enough," Aragorn softly said. "Pippin needs his rest. Come, Merry. You need your rest as well."

"Nonsense, I feel fit as an Uruk-Hai and a thousand times as wise."

"Well, Master Wise Uruk, does your knowledge reveal to you that rest is needed for healing? Come along now," Gandalf gently pulled Merry from the room. "Off to bed with you."

"Make sure he doesn't get into trouble while I sleep. Orcs are known for mischief," Pippin said sleepily.

"We'll watch over him," Legolas said merrily. "Now off to sleep with you as well, Pippin."

Pippin gently drifted to sleep as the three hunters left his room.

"He shows great strength, for one who came so near to death," Legolas remarked.

"Aye, hobbits seem quite resilient. Much more so than would be expected," Gimli added.

"I just hope all the hobbits in my care prove as resilient," Aragorn commented, looking into the room across from Pippin's, where two small, forlorn figures lay.

He need not have feared.

For indeed, hobbits were always irrepressible.


End file.
